Our Work
As a specialist International Scientific Committee of ICOMOS – the International Council on Monuments and Sites – ICTC provides a forum for heritage conservation and tourism professionals and academics. Our focus is on collaborative research; and the development and promotion of policy directions and best practice in integrated planning, conservation and cultural heritage management at tourism destinations especially but not exclusively UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The Cultural Tourism and Visitor Management (CT&VM) Framework is a tool developed by the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee (ICTC) for the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC). It is a self-assessment tool which may be used as a strategic asset to aid the local authorities in identifying target outcomes and actions for the establishment of policies and operational strategies. The ICTC team that developed the CT&VM Framework was composed of Fergus Maclaren, Bartomeu Deya, Cecilie Smith-Christensen, Dr. Hilary du Cros, Issa Torres, and Dr. Ivan Anthony Henares.
The original restoration project for the site in central Bulgaria initiated between ICOMOS Germany and the Buzludzha Monument Project, funded by the EU and Getty Foundation required an approach to manage visitors at the destination. Since February, ICTC members Fergus Maclaren, Jonathan Karkut and Sanjin Mihelic have been working with the project team to create such a required a sustainable tourism management plan for the site. The intended completion date is the end of June 2021.
Virtual working session with the CVG WH Bid Team from Ballarat, Australia replacing the planned in person multi-day work session from the ICOMOS 2020 GA in Sydney. The working session helped the Bid Team with the refinement of their tourist management plans as part of their WH bid. ICTC colleagues Ian Kelly, Tomeu Deya, Pankaj Manchanda, Faisal Abd Rahman and Fergus Maclaren participated in the session on 31 March 2021.
This was a follow-up meeting to 2013 ICTC Sukhothai Study Tour, organized in part by former Bureau VP, Jaturong Pokharatsiri in conjunction with DASTA, UNESCO Bangkok, and the Municipality of Sukhothai offices on 21 October 2020. ICTC colleague Dr. Aylin Orbasli was also a significant participant in the event.
Fergus Maclaren served as the ICTC representative for the event that included representatives from ISCARSAH, ICORP, ISCES+CC and CIPA organized by ICOMOS Taiwan on 17 October 2020.
Culture, Tourism and COVID-19: Recovery, Resiliency and Rejuvenation
Fergus Maclaren presented on cultural tourism matters and served as the ICOMOS representative at this event and organized by UNESCO on 28 September 2020.
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